Trainer has no plans to retire

He has had races and a function room at the Leeton racecourse named after him, he has underpinned local meetings with up to seven runners on a program, his late wife Nerrida was secretary of the Leeton Jockey Club for over 20 years and the couple have been employers and mentors to over 30 young apprentices over the decades at their Corbie Hill, stables Sona Lodge.

As one of NSW's oldest full-time trainers, Peter Clancy's bush stable has statistics that not many in the industry can emulate - 5036 starters for 631 wins and 1198 places, including 104 wins on his hometown track.

His best track for wins is Wagga Wagga with 138 while former apprentice Brad Clark has ridden 76 winners for his former master.

A plain looking brown gelding bred and trained by Peter called Qualitary was his biggest winner, notching up 19 wins and 28 places from 81 starts, followed by the filly Sporting Queen with 15 wins, 12 placings and 46 starts.

The highest stakes earner for the stable was Zarvista with 12 wins for $186,000 in prizemoney.

In 2017, Peter was recognised for his contribution to country racing with the Simon Nivison Special Achievement Award at Racing NSW's Country and Provincial Awards - the first trainer to do so.

Peter's father, Norman "Burley" Clancy, was a racehorse owner and president of the Leeton Jockey Club.

As a young lad Peter helped him maintain the track and facilities at the Leeton racecourse and was rewarded at the age of 15 with a retired racehorse to learn to ride on.

Riding at 10 stone (63.5kg), Peter did the track work for his brother and trainer, John Clancy, and embarked on a career as an amateur jockey.

Peter Clancy first appears in the LJC record books in the 1950s riding a horse owned by his father called Red Meggs, to second in a five-furlong race and backing up with a win at the Leeton meeting on November 12, 1955.

He transitioned to training around 1960 and named his Corbie Hill property, Sona Lodge, after the mare Sona who won 22 races from 44 starts, and was Peter's first horse to race in Sydney.

"I started training in the days when there were no gates and some of the early barriers had no gates on front, just a strand across the front of the horses," he said.

At its peak, Sona Lodge had a brood mare band of around 30 with horses raced in red with a white Maltese cross, later changed to green with brown spots.

Peter and Nerrida were mentors and guardians to 31 young apprentices over the decades.

The couple also devoted much of their spare time to the LJC, maintaining the track and surrounds, administrative duties and travelling to conferences.

Peter's current apprentice Caine Stuart admires the trainer, saying he treats all his apprentices with respect.

"He's good with teaching things - give and take with the horses, he loves to talk to the horses. He watches replays of my rides with me, reinforcing the positives and that is what you want to give you confidence. I have improved so much since I came here," Caine said.

Peter is firm about teaching respect.

"To me, respect is the greatest word in the English language," he said.

"There was one apprentice who I thought I might not have got through to him. I went in the jockey's room one day, he had his colours off and he had the word 'respect' tattooed over his heart. I'm really proud of that and it floored me."

Peter is concerned about the injury and fatality rate of female jockeys, and believes all apprentices should learn gymnastics as part of their training to increase flexibility and learn how to balance and tumble.

There have been a few hiccups along the way including the outbreak of equine influenza in 2007, resulting in race meetings abandoned, horses couldn't be worked on the racecourse and mares couldn't be taken to the stallions for breeding.

As meetings at Albury, Wagga and Leeton were abandoned, Peter faced a worrying time and told The Irrigator "being a bush stable, we can't float the horses into the Leeton track to work them. It'll set racing in NSW back a fair bit."

Peter and Nerrida were paid a certain amount each day to train their horses while racing was curtailed.

Racing continued, albeit with restrictions, regulations and no public, during COVID-19. Leeton businessman David Boots has been a great client of Clancy's along with Cootamundra vet Phil Nott and the local Rainbow Ladies Syndicate.

He keeps his costs down by sourcing feed locally, employing apprentices and a part-time stable hand/track worker. Ryan Pendergast, Narrandera, does all the handling and breaking.

Peter paid tribute to the first-class track and facilities at Leeton, where his horses do their fast work there once a week.

His son Greg helps out him out with the horses and daughter Tania with the book work.

In 2021, Peter was honoured by the LJC with the naming of the function centre as Clancy's Lodge during the Leeton Cup meeting.

He was also honoured that year at the Ardlethan picnic race meeting with life membership of the Ardlethan Picnic Race Club.

There has never been any pressure to be an early riser as Peter is the only one working horses on the Leeton track each week.

Today, at age 86 he has seven horses in work and races once or twice a fortnight.

"I don't drink so don't socialise much but am part of a very big racing family - I can go anywhere in racing and know everyone," Peter said.

"It has been a wonderful life - I actually enjoyed the riding more than training.

"I did say I would retire when I'm 90 but I don't want to sit here with nothing to do so I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing."